Plastic composition.



' speclfication.

a new and useful JOSEPH, H. MILLS, or RICHMOND, INDIANA.

PLAsrro' conrosrrron.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 6, 1908. Serial N0. 425,330.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

To all; whom it may concerm 1 Be it known that I, JOSEPH MILLs, a c1t1zen of the United States, residing. at

Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, have in- "useful Plastic following is a vented a certain; new an Composltion, of which the Myinvention consists in the production of plastic composition de'- signed for various uses in the ornamenting and embellishingof objects or surfaces as a substitute for wooden carvings and the like and, while the same is more particularly designed for use by me for the urpose of ornamenting and embellishing siiells of caskets, yet it will be understood that my invention is not limited to such particular character of use. 1

One of the principal objects of my invention is to produce a composition which shall not only be lastic and therefore capable of being given t e proper form or ornamentation by means of dies or the like, but shall also be such as to retain its plastic or semi-rigid character in order that it may be shaped to the surface or contour of the object to which it is to,be-appliedi and thereby fit closely there'against.

Another object of my invention is to roduce a plastic composition which shall also be elastic under al conditions and for any len th of time, so as to adaptor conform itsef to the expansions and contractions or shrinkages of the object to which it is applied.

A further object is to rovide a composition which shall in addition be tough in character, so that if desired nails may be driven therethrough without cracking or' fracturing the same. I

Various other advantageous features and properties of my new, composition will be apparent from the description hereinafter given.

Speaking in general terms, my composition comprises essentially resinous matter, a drying vegetable oil and starchy matter, to which may 'be added a mineral fillergand finely reduced fibrous matter also if desired;

Before describing the particular ingredients employed by me in the present practice of my invention and before setting forth their proportions, it will be understood that the proportions may be varied between certaln mits, according to the particular kind of use of the com osition of the particular de gree of plasticdharacter, but it will be found configuration.

that the proportions of ingredients hereinafter described as thepreferred ones will be found proper for most uses; I

lieferring to my plastic composition as compounded by me, I employ'resinous matter such: as ordinary rosin, a vegetable oil such as boiled linseed oil, a starchymatter,

preferably finely reduced cereal such as corn.

meal, althou h ordinary flour might be employed and. a so potatoes, which are of course rich in starch. I prefer to mix these ingredients in the following proportions: rosin eight parts by weight, linseed oil on-e'part by weight and corn meal twelve parts by weight. If it is desired to give the composition more rigidity and weight, a mineral filler such as whiting may be employed, in which case the following proportions are recommended: rosin eight parts, linseed oil one and one-half part, corn meal twelve parts and whiting twelve parts, said proportions being by weight. In order to provide for an economical filler, so as to give additional body,.while retaining the advantageeus properties of the compositions hereinbet'ore described, a suitable finely divided fibrous matter may be added to the last described composition and fortl1-is.par' ticular purpose I prefer to-employ sawdust. When sawdust is employed as one of the ingredients, the following proportions are recommended: rosin eight parts, linseed oil one and one-half parts, corn mealeight parts, whiting eight parts and sawdust two parts, said proportions being by weight.

As hereinbefore stated, this composition is 'preferably though not necessarily, designed for use in the "ornamentation and embellishment of burial casketsand speaking of the practice employed in this connection, withabove stated, is formed to the desired ornamental shape to resemble wood carvings,'for

instance; such forming or shaping being accomplished by means of dies having the proper The resulting ornamental out intending to limit myself to such parproduct is plastic in character and may be bent or twisted by the hand so as to conform it to the surface rigid condition under all circumstances and not hardening or becoming brittle-after lapse of timeor after exposure but retaining a per manent set as to ornamentation or configuof the object or article to which it is to be applied, the product or composition remaining in this plastic or semition so that it may be shaped to the article to which it is to be applied. In practice the composition thus partaking of the desiredornamental shape or a series of the same may be applied=or attached to the shell of the casket either directly or indirectly and in suitable manner. When the composition is attached directly to the shell ol' the casket I prefer to preliminarily cover the sameu'ith the cloth which is to form the covering of the casket, \vl'iich covering is accomplished by laying the cloth over the formed compositionand having the die, by a second operation, press the cloth directly into the surl'ace ol' the composition. Owing to the somewhat adhesive character of the composition and the fact that the nap ot' the cloth is forced by pressure of the die into the surface itself of such composition, the cloth will be sccurely afiixed' to the composition and will moreover partake of identically the same ornamental design as is impressed upon the composition itself. The cloth, with the composition or a series thereof on its inner side, is now glued or otherwise secured to the shell of the-"casket with the result that the casket is provided With an ornamentation and embellishment equal to that provided by cloth covered Wooden. ornaments or veneers.

'. If desired the shell ol the casket may be first covered 'ith the cloth and the ornamental composition or series of such products, after being covered by the cloth, may then be secured in any suitable manner to the cloth, thus covering the shell of the casket.

cloth to be pressed into it without any tearing or rupturing or" such cloth. Notwithstanding the elastic and plastic character of the composition, thearticles thus molded or formed therefrom retain their original shape, the composition being scmirigid but yet of a nature to permit of the bending and shaping of the same to the article to which it is to be attached.

I have described my invention as it is used in practice, that is in the ornamenting of burial caskets, such particular description being resorted to for a clear and definite ex- Also,'il desired the composition products may be seplanation of my invention, althoughaswill be understood 1 contemplate using my invention Wherever applicable, it being evident that articles composed of my composition may be employed in a great variety of situations owing to the practical and advantageous properties which it possesses.

I claim:

1.. A plastic composition comprising resinous matter,- a drying vegetable oil, and starchy matter; substantially as described.

2. A plastic composition comprising resinous matter, linseed oil and starchy matter; substantially described,

A composition of matter of plastic character comprising resinous matter, a drying oil and a finely reduced cereal; substantially as described.

i. A composition of matter of plasticcharactercomprising resinous matter, a drying oil and corn meal; substantially as de scribed.

5. A composition of matter of plastic character comprising a resinous matter, linseed oil and corn rueal; substantially as descriled.

6. A composition of matter of plastic character comprising rosin, linseed oil and corn meal substantially as described.

7. A composition of matter of plastic character comprising resinous matter, a drying oil, starchy n'iatter and a mineral filler, substantially as described.

8. A composition of matter of plastic character comprising resinous matter, a drying oil, starchy matter and whiting; substantially as deseri 'red.

9. A composition of matter of plastic character coir n'ising resinous matter, a drying oil, corn nzcal and whiting; substantially as descril. ed.

10. A composition of matter of plastic character comprisingresinous matter, corn meal, linseed oil and whiting; sulzstantially as described.

11. A composition of matter of plastic character comprising resinous matter, a drying oil, starchy matter, whiting and a fibrous matter; sul stantially as described.

12. A con. ition of matter of plastic character comprising resinous matter, a drying oil, starchy matter, Whiting and sawdust; substantially as descriicd.

13 A composition of matter of plastic 

